ROME, Ga.- Oglethorpe's bad luck streak with Southern Athletic Association play has continued after falling 82-79 to the Berry Vikings Wednesday night on the road.

Malachi Dooley put up 20 points and three steals, followed by Perry Robinson with his fifth double-double of the season after 18 points and 10 rebounds. Robinson also made four assists. Dylan Pumpian added 11 points, and Logan Turner had nine.

"Another one possession game," said head coach Philip Ponder. "We had four bad turnovers that led to run-outs and nine points for them, and in close games you can't have that. Our offense was very good again, although we had a bad three- or four-minute stretch in the second half. When you shoot 53%, you should win. Our offense these past three games has been good enough to be 3-0. Unfortunately, our defense has been good enough to be 0-3, and that's where we are."

Jackson Kemp made a layup to get the game started, but the Vikings quickly moved ahead. A run of 3-pointers from Pumpian and Dooley gave Oglethorpe an 18-14 lead, and the rest of the first period was neck-and-neck. The score tied five more times before settling on a 40-39 advantage thanks to J. Kemp.

J. Kemp and Dooley continued to fuel a potential win, but Berry came crawling back. With 16 minutes left in the game, the Vikings found an 11-2 run that changed the game. Oglethorpe continued to fight, even ending the game with a 7-2 run from Mason Kemp and Dooley, but Berry prevailed 82-79.

"We are literally three plays away from being undefeated and in first place, but our defense has been our Achilles heal," added Ponder. "We are going to have to improve that if we want to do anything this year."

Up Next

The Stormy Petrels will take on Millsaps on Sunday, Jan. 19, at 4 p.m. The next home game will be Friday, Jan. 31, at 8 p.m. against Rhodes.